Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 16.228–301: Book 16: Nicaia drinks from the wine-spring; Dionysos takes her asleep

A tree was near him while he spoke; and through her clustering leaves an ancient Ashtree heard the cry of womanmad Dionysos, and she uttered a mocking voice :

“Other masters of hounds, Dionysos, hunt here for the Archeress; but you are huntsman for Aphrodite! Here’s a nice fellow to be in fear of a soft-skinned maiden girl! Bacchos the bold, bowing and scraping like a lackey to the loves ! lifts in prayer to a weakling girl the hands that butchered the Indians! Your father does not know how to go a-wooing with heartbewitching words of love to bring the girl willing to her bridal ; he made no prayer to Semele until he won her love; he did not cajole Danaé until he stole her maidenhood. You know how he caught Ixion’s wife, the bridegroom’s whinney and the equine mating. You have heard of love’s game of trickery for Antiope, the laughing Satyr, the sham deceitful mate.”’

So she mocked the timid mind of Bacchos, and vanished into her coeval tree. But on the hills, Dionysos impatient followed the wild girl with lovemad feet ; and the swift-shod Amazon, ever on the move, scoured the topmost heads of difficult mountain-paths, hiding her track from the searcher Lyaios.

But the dry lips of the thirsty girl were parched as Phaéthon scourged her skin with his blazing fire, and knowing not the trick of womanmad Dionysos, she noticed the brown water of the tipplers’ river, and drank the sweet liquid, whence the skin-scorched Indians had drunk. With her brain on fire, the girl revelled in her intoxication, and tossed her head to match her double motions; when she turned her eyes to the wide yawning lake, she thought to see two lakes ; then as her head grew heavy, she beheld the ridges of the beastfeeding hill double themselves ; and with trembling feet, slipping in the dust, she was drawn unconsciously under the wing of Sleep who was not far away. So the bride heavy at knee, was spellbound by her wedding slumber.

Eros espied her sleeping, and pointed her out to Bacchos, pitying Hymnos ; Nemesis laughed at the sight. And sly Dionysos with shoes that made no noise crept soundless to his bridal, placing his footsteps with care. He came near the girl: and softly with gentle hand undid the end of the knot which guarded the girdle of innocence, that sleep might not let the maiden go.

Earth unfolded her teeming fragrance, and brought forth a plot of plants, to do pleasure to Dionysos. Tangled poles of spreading vine lifted a wide covering laden with clusters of grapes, and shaded the bed with its leaves ; a selfgrown arbour of vinery embowered the couch with its rich growth, and many a bunch of purple fruit swayed to and fro above it, under the Cyprian’s breezes. It screened them both, while in crinkling clumps a lovely sapling of the wine-plant entangled intoxicated the wreaths of ivy which climbed over the growing fruit.

It was a stolen bridal, like bed in a dream with Sleep for helper. The maiden lost her maidenhood, slumbering still ; she saw Sleep as marshal of the loves, and as servant of winedeceived nuptials. The breeze, unresting, self-sounding, interwove the hymn of love with caperings, high among the branches of the jubilant forest : and the melody of the mountain bridal, passing on the winds, was answered in modest tones by maiden Echo, Pan’s following voice ; dancing over the ground the pipes tootled out loudly “Hymen Hymenaios”’; the forest fir resounded, “A blessing on this bridal !

Then the soul of the herdsman, passing on the winds, started up and taunted the sleeping maiden in dreams of the night :

“A lover also has his avenging spirits, happy bride! If you refused Hymnos as a bridegroom, Dionysos has made you a bride! You are a crooked judge, you matchmaking maiden bride! you kill the lover, you pursue him that weds not! Maiden, a brazen sleep you gave to your impassioned Hymnos: maiden, a honeyed sleep lost you your maidenhood! The dead herdsman’s piteous blood you saw with a laugh; there was worse piteous groaning when you saw the blood of your maidenhood.”